Dating in the Nursing Home

The U.S. has moved forward on its attitudes and in medical advances so nursing homes are now considering making adjustments regarding sex.

The New York Times recently examined the impact of Viagra and the changing views on sexual relations on nursing homes in an article “Too Old for Sex? Not at This Nursing Home,” which includes the story of a New York nursing home that has created a dating service and holds a senior prom.

Today, many nursing homes have had to think about how to handle the situation when their residents are in relationships with each other.

While nursing home residents having sexual relationships might seem like an unimportant story, it actually is an important elder law issue. Sexual relationships in nursing homes raise the possibility of abuse and false claims of abuse.

Having guidelines is a way to let staff know how to act when there are relationships and how to look out for signs of abuse. Nursing homes do not necessarily need to go as far as the one in Brooklyn, but having policies and guidelines is important.

In the future, it seems that nursing homes will need to review and set their own policies regarding these relationships.

Reference: New York Times (July 12, 2016) “Too Old for Sex? Not at This Nursing Home”